Hey baby

Well the bootees are finished (hurrah)...

Sparrow from Let's Knit - http://ravel.me/thefunkylibrarian/g0gvg

I've also finished my first ever cardigan...

Paris from Let's Knit - http://ravel.me/thefunkylibrarian/yi8f4

Again knit for my friends' baby when it arrives in January.  I've still to sew on four buttons but apart from that its ready to go.

I'm delighted with this, its so soft and squidgy and will keep the little one warm in cold January, hope he appreciates it!

The pattern was called Paris from a Let's Knit magazine supplement called Handknitted for Baby but I'm not sure of the date.  It was a super easy patterns to follow and can now add making a buttonhole with [yfwd, k2tog, k1] using stitch markers and picking up stitches to my arsenal.  I found picking up stitches quite tricky but making a buttonhole seems to be a mix of black magic and weird science.  I adapted the pattern slightly by not adding on pockets to the front as I wasn't overly keen on them.

Also if I were to knit this again I would go for a stronger colourway than the bluey/grey neutral colour, I think as its a basic garter stitch a strong colour will help the stitches stand out.







Continuing on the baby gifts next on the needles is a pattern called Little Imp from a Simply Knitting supplement called Hand knits for baby.  I've literally just cast this on using Deramores baby DK (gorgeous super soft yarn!) and already ran into trouble.  The first part of the pattern calls for a simple rib patterns then continue in stocking stitch then using a different colour yarn to create stripes.  I have somehow managed to mess up the simple rib at the start!

So tonight's mission is to find out how to undo around 6 stitches.  I refuse to rip it back a row or even to start again (its CO 80 stitches, yawn).  So that will add undoing stitches to the arsenal, if I can figure it out.  What's really annoying is its a rib pattern to I need to undo a purl and a knit stitch...argh!

Its WonderWool 2013

Thinking back I wish I had kept my blogs over the years rather than doing massive culls as I can still remember my first ever visit to the first ever Wonderwool.  In fact I may even still have yarn from then as being quite inexperienced I bought random things and either have no idea the gauge or what to do with them.

It is where I first learnt I had to turn a skein into a ball...

With varying degrees of success...

This year I have signed up for a course on short row knitting so that I can add to my knitting techniques.  I quite enjoyed making Sackboy a few years ago and do have in my head to make Amigurumi and other small toys so I thought this would be a good class to sign up for - also it had a cute picture of a knitted mouse on the signup page.

Sackboy...just chilling

So this year I'm looking forward to seeing my wonderful friends from all over Wales, eating my own weight in Lemon Tarts from La Patisserie, trying a scotch egg and hunting down any chunky yarn.  My friend and I might even try going along to the Ravelry Flock later in the evening.

I shall endeavour to take as many photographs as I can...and not delete this blog!

Getting Craftsy with wool

Hi folks,

Recently I've signed up to a tonne of craft courses on the video tutorial website Craftsy...darn them and their spring sale (pun not intended)...but they also have some free introductory courses which I thought could be pretty useful, like this one 'Know Your Wool.'

Being an avid knitter forever stuck in the realm of beginner knitter I thought getting to know the ins and outs of wool would be useful for when it comes to choosing the right wool for the job.  I also live in a very rural area in mid Wales and frankly not knowing more than one sheep breed is getting embarrassing!

I quite like the format and style of the Craftsy courses, especially as I can watch the classes on the iPad - with access to all the same features as the PC -and replay them as many times as I like.  The site itself is easy to use and nicely laid out and I like that in the classes you can post video notes and see questions from other learners.  I have also noticed that the video lessons start off from where I last viewed them, which is very useful so I don't need to keep notes of where I am.

So far I have completed the introduction looking at the differences between wools and some sheep breeds.  So far I'm thinking this section is particularly useful for hand spinners, although I am beginning to understand why certain wool is better for say a hat and a different type for socks.

I have quite a few videos still to get through but will let you know how I get on.